10 Common Causes of Bleeding Gums You Should Know About

If you are suffering from bleeding gums even after regularly taking care of your teeth, you need to consult a gum specialist right away. Decoding the actual cause can be tricky, but your oral care provider should be able to figure it out through proper diagnosis.

Sometimes, people take bleeding gums casually and consider it a minor inconvenience. But it should not be taken lightly as this indicates a certainty towards an oral health issue– that occurred either due to bad brushing practice or from substantial conditions like periodontitis/gingivitis.

In this blog we will dive into ten usual causes of bleeding gums and what are the most effective treatment options for patients out there. Let us start with the causes-

• Smoking – Sound irrelative? But smoking weakens the immune system which makes it difficult to fight infections, leading to gum diseases making the gums bleed eventually.
  
• Bad oral hygiene – Another common factor for people suffering from bleeding gums is their poor oral hygiene. Irregular brushing or flossing leads to plaque build-up which causes inflammation and irritation, leading to gum bleeding.
  
• Gingivitis – A condition that occurs only when plaque resides in your teeth for a substantial timeframe. People suffer from painful inflammation with red coloration and bleeding gums, especially when they are flossing or brushing.
  
• Periodontitis – This is the after-effect of gingivitis but only leads to a problematic condition if no action is taken for its prevention for a significant amount of time. At some point, patients might lose a tooth. So, to refrain from this, preventive measures like- good oral care and periodic dental check-ups, need to be practiced.
  
• Diabetes – Reports suggest that people who are already suffering from diabetes are more prone to bleeding gums. The reason behind this- their gum tissues get affected because they have high blood sugar levels which makes them vulnerable to infections.
  
• Vitamin Deficiency (especially vitamin K & C) – Vitamin C helps in the production of collagen, which keeps our gums healthy while Vitamin K helps in blood clotting. Thus, reduction of Vitamin C is the primary cause of swollen gums, while Vitamin K deficiency leads to excessive bleeding.
  
• HIV AIDS – Another health issue that affects the patient’s immune system. This can make the patients prone to gum infections that result in bleeding.
  
• Damage of gums – Sometimes people injure their gums physically, without anticipating the cause. For instance, some people brush too hard with harsh toothbrush bristles, while others injure their gums while playing contact sports like football, boxing, etc. Wearing protective gear (i.e. mouth guards) becomes crucial in the long run.
  
• Medications with side effects – Sometimes patients suffering from substantial medical conditions, (e.g. hemophilia, etc.) take medications like blood thinners which affect the clotting power of their blood.
  
• Hormonal disbalances – Mostly women going through pregnancy and menopause might suffer from gum bleeding because, during this time, an increase in blood flow is anticipated in the gums. This pressurizes the gums which leads to bleeding.

To enhance gum health and prevent its bleeding, you need certain treatments like-

• Outdo your oral hygiene at home
• Prescribed antibiotics
• Root planning and tooth scaling
• Osseous surgery- to minimize the size of the spaces around your teeth)
• Laser periodontal surgery

Sometimes the conditions get dicey. You might have bleeding gums but it doesn’t have to be the effect of a gum disease. In this case, your gum specialist should be the one to identify the root cause. The specialist might suggest conducting some tests if you have blood-clotting disorders diabetes or any other underlying health conditions. Once you go through a proper diagnosis, your healthcare provider will guide you through a legitimate treatment plan.

If you have any further queries regarding the condition of your gums, you can contact us at Sure Smyle Dental, where we nurture patients with the best dentists in this realm.